


As Time Goes By

by 1Diamondinthesun



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/F, First Dates, Fluff, Girl Direction, Journalist Louis, Movie Reference, Oneshot, Photographer Harry, Strangers to Lovers, Twitter, casablanca - Freeform, hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-26 23:34:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9930398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1Diamondinthesun/pseuds/1Diamondinthesun
Summary: Louis found herself enthralled with the way Harry talked; kind of hesitant and drawn out, like she wasn’t really expecting to be heard. Louis wondered who in Harry’s life talked over her or tried to make her stop in the middle of a story. That would be a shame, because Louis was loving their conversation. There was something about the way that Harry’s mouth formed the words, and the rasp of her voice. Louis hated talking on the phone as a rule, but she imagined she could listen to Harry talk for hours. She wanted to curl up next to her on the couch and listen to Harry talk about anything and everything.Wow. Louis needed to get a grip. They hadn’t even opened the wine yet, and Louis was already fantasizing about cuddling Harry.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This fic wouldn't have been possible without the lovely britpickerhl. Thank you for always believing in me! xx C

Louis saw the alert on her phone on the long ride home from work one chilly Friday afternoon. The sun was already setting behind the London skyline in Louis’ rearview mirror. It had been a long day, and all Louis wanted to do was curl up on the couch with a glass of wine or two and forget the day. She glanced at her phone in the passenger seat as the screen lit up.

_Date with Nick in two hours!_

Oh shit.

What do you wear to meet a date for the first time? It had been forever since Louis had been on a proper date. Louis glanced down at her dark grey button up, tight black pants, and sighed. She imagined her sister’s voice in her head reminding her to _make a good first impression_. She suspected her work clothes wouldn’t cut it.

Louis pulled into a parking spot in front of her building and power walked to the door. She scaled the steep steps to her flat and unlocked the door to 5A. Inside, Louis finally kicked off her black Kate Spade flats and sighed. It had been a long day—long week, really, at the office—and Louis’ eyes were strained from staring at a computer screen for hours on end. She took in her cozy, familiar flat as she entered the foyer. A small black and white kitchen to the right, and tiny living room consisting of a soft white couch and large windows that let in the fading afternoon light. The sunlight streamed in through sheer white curtains and glinted off the many picture frames Louis had arranged on the wall. She had bought this place for the windows. Ahead, down a short hall, was Louis’ bedroom and en suite bath. It was small, but it was home. A home that truth be told, Louis did not like to leave in the evenings when she finally dragged in from work and a long commute.

And here she was, breaking the cycle and going out. With Nick, who according to the Bumble app she downloaded a few weeks ago, loved classic movies and good wine. Over the course of a couple weeks, Louis had chatted with Nick about careers, city living, and the pets they wanted but couldn’t have. (For Nick, a French bulldog she was dying to name Bella, and for Louis, a tabby cat from a local shelter.)

They didn’t talk about their dating history, or family, or even politics. With Nick, conversation stayed pleasant and witty. Louis had had reservations about joining the dating site, but she was coming to realize that it allowed her something a traditional first meeting didn’t: it gave her the chance to put the best version of herself out there. There was never any mention of bad habits or flaws that otherwise would be noticeable at first glance; Louis for once wasn’t worrying about her curves or messy hair or tattoos. And planning the date two weeks in advance gave her a chance to prepare for that first meeting.

Louis had it all planned out in her head, after talking to Nick several times. They would arrive at the date destination at the same time, approaching each other with friendly smiles. Nick would say something cute like, “Hello stranger,” and press a prim kiss to her cheek. Everything would be pleasant and drama free, and Louis would finally be able to call home and tell her mother she had met someone online who was totally normal.

As she stripped off her work clothes and browsed her cluttered closet for a suitable dress, Louis felt her nerves ebb away and tentative excitement kick in. What was the worst that could happen?

*

Things were not going according to plan.

Louis, in her newfound excitement, had arrived early at the Regent Street Cinema and ended up standing at the ticket booth of the old fashioned movie theatre, while typical weekend traffic on the pavements made it hard to spot Nick when she arrived. In her black lace dress and pea coat, Louis looked like someone who had been awkwardly stood up by her date. The teenager at the ticket booth stared listlessly at her phone as Louis waited. Based on the few photos Nick’s profile had, Louis was looking at every brunette woman that passed in hopes it would be her. Ten long minutes after arriving, Louis felt a tap on her shoulder and whirled around to find Nick standing there with a bemused smile.

“Looking for someone?” she asked.

“Nick, hi!” Louis smiled in relief. She took in how tall and slim Nick was in person and stepped a bit closer to avoid the people trying to pass on the crowded pavement.

“Sorry I’m late,” Nick added with a small smile, but didn’t offer a reason for her lateness. She pocketed her phone and gestured toward the ticket booth.

Louis followed Nick to the window and stood in the short line that had formed since Louis arrived.

“So have you seen _Casablanca_ , Louis?” Nick asked, scanning the crowd.

“Not yet. Although my sister says it’s awesome, so.”

“It totally is. Oh, we’re next,” Nick said, putting a hand at the small of Louis’ back and guiding her forward.

It wasn’t bad, exactly, Louis decided as she stared at Nick from the corner of her eye. Just a little weird. She took in Nick’s carefully arranged curls and pearl jewelry, and her classic red lipstick. Louis opened her mouth to comment about the old movie theatre, only to find Nick engrossed in something on her phone. Afraid it might be important, Louis waited for her to finish up.

When it was their turn at the ticket window, Louis faltered. Should she buy the tickets, or were they buying their own? They hadn’t discussed that. Louis looked to Nick to see her fumbling around for her purse in her bag. So that was settled; they each bought their own ticket. They paid for their tickets and walked into the theatre.

Inside, Louis turned to Nick. “Snacks are on me, if you’d like something?”

Nick’s eyebrows raised slightly. “Movie popcorn? Do you know how long it’s been sitting in that machine? And how bad for you that butter is? Nah. Thanks though.”

Well, ok. Louis couldn’t remember going to the movies ever in her 25 years and not buying popcorn, but whatever. She bypassed the concession stand and headed toward the usher taking the tickets. Nick was typing something on her phone, so Louis gestured to take her ticket and hand them to the usher.

“ _Casablanca_ , first door on your left,” he said, pointing down a short hall. Louis glanced back to see that a decent line had formed behind them. She cleared her throat to get Nick’s attention, and her inquisitive brown eyes rose from her phone screen.

“Movie’s this way,” Louis said, and it came out apologetically. Which, what the hell?

“Oh cool!” Nick replied, following Louis down the hall. “Don’t mind me, I’m just live tweeting tonight.”

Louis’ eyes widened in mild panic. “You’re what?”

“Yeah,” Nick said distractedly. “I have like…500 followers, and I told them I’d live tweet this date.”

Louis looked at Nick incredulously, but the girl’s gaze was back on her phone. Was she joking?

“Umm.”

At her nervous tone, Nick looked up in alarm. “Don’t worry, just act natural! You won’t even notice I’m doing it,” she promised, glancing one more time at her phone. “Ooh, ten more followers!” she squealed. “I knew this was a good idea.”

Louis took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She would definitely not be calling home to brag about this date, that was for sure. Her only hope was that no one would notice…and that Nick wasn’t referring to Louis by name. Oh god.

As they walked into the dark theatre, Louis scanned the seats for a good one. It was already fairly packed, but there were two free seats behind a pair of women about Louis’ age. She sighed and led Nick to the seats. They settled in and then Nick was back on her phone, muttering.

“Oh my god, it smells like a locker room in here,” she complained to Louis. “Do you smell socks?” She never looked up, fingers flying over the screen of her phone.

One of the women in front of her turned her head with eyebrows raised.

“Sorry,” Louis mouthed fretfully, and the woman frowned and turned back around.

“Um, Nick,” Louis said under her breath. “Isn’t it going to be really obvious you’re on your phone when the movie starts?”

Nick looked up with a small grin. “Maybe no one will notice. Oh! I have like no signal in here…great.”

Louis sighed in relief and turned her own phone to silent as she settled into her seat. Problem solved.

As she waited for the movie to start, Louis found herself taking in the theatre. The seats were a deep red velvet-like material, and the screen was framed in gold. Vintage light fixtures adorned the side walls, and dark purple curtains hung around the screen. It did smell a little musty, as the theatre was obviously old, but Louis wasn’t about to admit that to Nick. Instead, she ended up staring distractedly at the couple in front of her. The woman who had turned around a moment ago had cropped, ash blonde hair that shone in the low lights of the room. Her companion had long, slightly messy curls. They were dressed down in skinny jeans and warm looking sweaters, and Louis sighed jealously as her lace dress itched her sides. They had popcorn too, and it smelled amazing.

The blonde said something to her date, causing the woman to snort out a loud laugh. She slapped a hand over her mouth as her date cackled next to her.

Nick’s eyes shot up like a hawk, and she quickly typed something on her phone. Louis could only imagine what it said. At least the couple was having a good time, unlike Louis’ current predicament. Several times she opened her mouth to comment about something, but always stopped short when she realized it would likely end up on twitter.

“Oh, signal’s back!” Nick chirped after a long, uncomfortable silence. “Aww, I lost two followers though. Louis, say something funny.”

Louis glanced incredulously at Nick, who appeared to be completely serious. Her fingers were frozen over the keys on her phone in expectation.

“Um…how long is this movie again?” Louis asked desperately. The women in front of her giggled.

“One hour and forty two minutes,” Nick grinned. “Give or take.”

Louis slumped in her seat, and leaned back against the head rest. “Let me guess, everyone dies?”

That earned a chuckle out of Nick. “Not everyone. But I don’t want to spoil the movie for you. I’ll want to record your reactions as we go. Are you a movie crier Louis?” she asked teasingly.

Louis’ face blushed bright red. The woman with the curls in front of her turned inquisitively. Louis couldn’t even blame her for being nosy, as Nick was literally broadcasting the date to the public. When Louis looked up, she was met with laughing green eyes and rosy cheeks. The woman was beautiful, Louis realized dully, and here she was stuck with the twitter date from hell.

“Sometimes,” Louis found herself replying, eyes never leaving the other woman’s. “Can’t help it.” For a moment, their eyes locked and Louis felt a jolt of awareness through her body. After a long moment, her curiosity apparently satisfied, the woman turned back around to face the screen. Louis deflated a little as she realized she was stuck with Nick for another two hours.

Finally, the lights dimmed in warning and the screen flickered to life. Some people in the audience clapped, and Nick rolled her eyes. She finally turned her phone to silent, but the screen stayed illuminated as the tweets kept coming. Nick had not offered her twitter handle, and Louis hadn’t asked, not really wanting to know what Nick was saying about her.

When the music started and a map of Europe filled the screen, Louis tuned Nick out and tried to focus on the movie. According to a very brief IMDB search earlier that day, Louis knew the film was made in the 40s and was set around wartime. As she got her first glance of a jaded Humphrey Bogart, Louis tried to relax in her seat and enjoy the movie.

For a few minutes, Nick appeared to be watching along with her. Her fingers had stilled over the screen of her phone, and she was staring at the movie screen. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. The blonde in front of them whispered something to her date, and they briefly snuck a glance at one of their phones. They turned and stared first at Nick, and then at her. The blonde laughed first, and turned back around, but the woman with the dark hair stared at Louis for a beat longer. Louis reluctantly met her gaze, and found the woman was offering a consoling smile. Knowing Louis’ luck, these were two of Nick’s 500 followers. Great.

When Bogart offered his famous line, Louis realized she understood his despair.

_Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine._

More like, of all the dating apps, in all of London, this twitter fanatic stumbles into mine, Louis thought darkly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nick typing something leisurely on her phone. She paused and looked at Louis for a moment, whispering loudly:

“Did you know this won 3 Oscars?” A few people around them turned to glare.

“I…had no idea,” Louis muttered, sliding down in her seat in embarrassment. In front of her, the brunette was subtly shaking her head. Suddenly, the room felt too small, and Nick beside her felt too stifling.

“I’ll be back,” Louis whispered, grabbing her purse and standing to exit. Nick didn’t even pause her typing in acknowledgment. The women in front of them turned to watch Louis go, but Louis was already halfway to the lobby.

Once out of the dark theatre, in the empty hall Louis let out a long breath. She slumped against the wall and closed her eyes, letting her head thud back against the antique floral wallpaper.

“Worst. Date. Ever,” she groaned softly, banging her head back with each syllable. Maybe she could cut and run and fake sick? She could just text Nick, the woman would see it instantly since she was already on her phone.

A soft cough caught Louis by surprise.

Her eyes flew open to find a woman standing in front of her. It appeared to be the brunette from the theatre, who had locked eyes with Louis before the movie started. Louis took a moment to stare, from the curly top of the woman’s head, down her long, jeans-clad legs, all the way down to her battered Chelsea boots on slightly pigeon-toed feet. Louis didn't really have a type, but if she did, this would be it.

“Sorry to bother you, when you’ve just gotten some peace and quiet,” the woman said in a low rasp.

“I…it’s ok?” Louis said, staring quizzically at the woman.

“It just looked like you were having an awful time, so I wanted to make sure you were ok,” the woman said in one hurried breath. Under Louis’ gaze, the woman blushed.

“Yeah, not going as well as your date, I guess,” Louis quipped, shifting on her feet.

The woman frowned and then her eyes widened. “My date? My sister, Gemma?” she grinned.

“Oh,” Louis replied, and then didn’t know what to say.

The woman took a tentative step closer. “We follow @Ms_Grimmy on twitter,” she said apologetically. She was tweeting about the theatre and the film, and we pieced together it was her behind us.”

“Oh god,” Louis groaned. “I don’t even want to know what she’s saying, honestly.”

The woman, who appeared to be Louis’ age, bit her lip and shifted her feet awkwardly. “You probably don’t. And I should say, _followed_ , because when we saw what she was doing, we both unfollowed her.”

“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day…” Louis trailed off tiredly.

“Harry,” the woman supplied with a small smile. Louis smiled back. “I’m Louis…as you probably already know.” She laughed self-deprecatingly and hung her head. “Oh god, I’m never going to live this down.”

“Aww, don’t worry about it. It’ll be forgotten by tomorrow,” Harry said consolingly.

There was a short silence, in which Louis met Harry’s eyes and they exchanged a small smile.

“Oh sorry! Am I holding you up? Were you about to ditch the date?” Harry asked worriedly.

“I don’t know…I kind of want to know what happens in the end,” Louis said lamely.

Harry flashed a smile. “It’s really a great movie.”

“Bummer,” Louis laughed softly. “I may never know.”

“I’ve, um. Actually got it on DVD. It’s one of my favorites,” Harry confessed.

Louis raised her eyebrows. “And you came to see it again?”

“There’s just something about seeing it in this theatre that makes it even better,” Harry replied.

Louis nodded thoughtfully.

“Although it’s still a great movie to watch in the comfort of your own home.” Harry took another step closer.

The air between them felt charged, and Louis felt Harry’s gaze as it traveled down her body.

“Speaking of which,” Harry said, suddenly nervous. “If this doesn’t come across as too crazy, would you like to watch the movie again? With me?”

Louis’ eyes widened in surprise. “You mean…?”

“Like at my place. And I promise not to tweet about it the whole night,” Harry vowed with a mischievous smile. “Unless you’re into that kind of thing.”

Louis tried and failed to stop from blushing. This was not a traditional way to get asked on a date, but who cared? Louis couldn’t help but think Harry would be night and day different from Nick. In a really good way.

“Actually…that sounds really nice. I’d love to, Harry,” Louis answered with a shy smile.

“Really? That’s great,” Harry smiled back. “I’ll give you my number,” she said, pulling her phone out of her back pocket.

As if in a daze, Louis took out her phone and exchanged numbers with Harry. She saved the name “Harry” in her phone with the last name “Cute theatre girl” and a winking emoji.

“Can I call you a cab, or…?” Harry asked.

“I think I’m gonna tell her I have to go, actually,” Louis said, steeling herself for the conversation with Nick.

“That’ll shut down her twitter feed,” Harry grinned. “Nice.”

“We should…” Louis gestured to go back into the dark theatre.

“Right!” Harry agreed, and turned briefly to say:

“In case your date didn’t tell you, you look really nice, Louis.”

Louis’ smile lit up her face as she followed Harry back into the theatre.

*

On Monday afternoon, three days after Twittergate, as Louis and her sister had dubbed it over several glasses of wine the night before, a text notification snapped Louis out of staring dejectedly at her computer screen. The office had settled down into a mid-afternoon slump, and Louis suspected at least one of her bosses was napping behind closed doors. After the conversation with Nick in the theatre, in which Louis cut and run as politely as possible, and then lamenting her fate with her sister over the date, Louis felt like she hadn’t rested at all over the weekend.

Louis straightened up in her chair, her back popping with the movement, and she glanced at the bright screen of her phone. The message was straightforward but welcome.

_Harry Cute Theatre Girl ;)  Good afternoon, Louis. Still in the mood for old movies?_

Louis felt her heart skip a beat as she looked over her shoulder and then grabbed her phone, abandoning the article she had been struggling through writing all morning. It could wait. Louis was beginning to think she had simply imagined Harry out of desperation from her awful date night. But here she was. Louis bit back a smile and began typing.

_Hi! Of course, I’m dying to know what happens with Rick and what’s her name lol._

Louis knew she was baiting Harry for a response, since the woman surely knew every character’s name. She watched the three gray dots appear as Harry composed a reply.

_Her name is Ilsa! Didn’t you learn anything this weekend? :P_

Louis grinned and typed out her response.

_Yes. I learned not to trust dating apps and twitter :/_

Harry didn’t immediately reply, and Louis wondered if she was at work too. What did Harry do? They hadn’t really gotten a chance to discuss…anything, really. Was Louis crazy for going on this date? Not nearly as crazy as sitting through half a movie with Nick, certainly. Louis winced at the memory and went back to her (unfortunately blank) computer screen. This article on the new Arsenal coach was due by tomorrow, and Louis’ writer’s block couldn’t have worse timing. She managed to type out a couple paragraphs, trying to suppress a headache, when her phone dinged again. Harry had replied:

_Aww sorry. It must have been awful for you! It’s been a busy day at work, otherwise I would have replied sooner. I promise my movie etiquette is better than @Ms_Grimmy’s…who, you may be amused to know, lost 50 more followers after the date ended. Not that I was counting ;)_

Louis laughed softly in her desk chair as she reread Harry’s response. To Nick’s credit, when Louis had reentered the theatre and told her she had to go, the woman just smirked and said goodnight. Louis tried not to think about what she had tweeted then. It was the worst date in her history of bad dates, and Louis was ready to forget about it. But a small, slightly petty part of her was glad Nick’s twitter experiment had backfired. It felt like the closure she needed to move on. Louis pondered a response to Harry as she saved her work on the Arsenal article and stretched her tired muscles. There was just so much Louis wanted to learn about Harry, and she didn’t know where to start. Finally, she sighed and typed:

_Haha I think she had it coming. I can’t believe you saw me on my worst date ever and wanted to see me again…brave woman! I’m looking forward to Friday though. Was thinking about reading the IMDB summary of the movie to see what happens in the end lol_

Harry’s reply came just moments later.

_Don’t you dare!! We’re gonna watch the movie the right way whether you like it or not. So worth it :)_

_Ok, ok, I won’t cheat._ Louis typed back, rolling her eyes and grinning. She really did want to watch the movie all the way through with Harry anyway. Just then, an email message popped up on Louis’ computer screen. Her boss had simply written: Arsenal story? Louis sighed and glanced back at her phone. She wanted to keep talking to Harry, but a deadline was looming over her. She took a moment to send one last message, and then vowed to get busy.

  _Ugh, I have to get back to work…will talk to you soon?_

A moment later, as if Harry was waiting for her reply, she answered. _LOL same. Have a great day, Louis :)_

*

On Tuesday evening, bundled up under a pile of quilts her grandmother had made after an especially cold day, Louis received a message. This time, it was a photo.

Louis opened the message from Harry and couldn’t help but smile fondly. In the photo, Harry was cuddling a tiny gray kitten in her arms. Her curls were tied up in a messy ponytail, and a few strands had slipped out to frame her face. She was wearing a simple lavender sweater that brought out the green of her eyes, and she was smiling so big a dimple showed in her cheek. The caption simply read,

_Hope you are having a purr-fect day!_

Was it bad Louis wanted to screenshot this and save it forever? Louis bit her lip as she contemplated a reply. She snuggled down further under her blankets and typed out what she hoped wasn’t too cheesy.

_I am now! That’s adorable, what’s her name?_

A couple short moments later, Harry answered. _We call her Apple. Lol one of the kids named her and it stuck._

Louis frowned and her stomach dropped. Kids?! She never pictured Harry having kids. Was that a deal breaker? Louis asked herself. As if reading her mind, Harry quickly added:

_Not MY kid…one of the volunteers here at the shelter. Lol I don’t have any myself._

Louis let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding and mumbled, “Yikes.” Truth be told, she had always wanted kids of her own one day—the more, the merrier—but she wasn’t ready yet. But how to reply to Harry now? Louis pondered for a moment, then typed out her message and tossed her phone down on the coffee table.

_Neither do I lol. Aww she’s so cute! Will she be attending date night?_

Harry’s reply, when it came, made Louis’ face break into a huge smile.

_Apple prefers to chase dogs in her free time…but I promise I’m cuddly too :)_

_*_

Louis and Harry continued to text throughout the rest of the week, and by the time Friday rolled around, Louis couldn’t wait for their movie night. The whole atmosphere of preparing for this date was different than her date with Nick. Thank god. She already knew more about Harry from one week of texting than she had known about Nick after two weeks on the dating app. She knew, for example, that Harry had only one sister, the woman who had attended the movie with her; she knew that Harry worked as a family photographer and volunteered once a week at the Wood Green animal shelter; she knew Harry loved yoga and home cooking and had an aloe plant named Jade. Louis knew Harry was single and 24 and had never broken a bone, despite numerous sprains, random lacerations, and kitchen burns. She knew Harry loved puns and cheesy jokes, and was completely charmed by her overall. And when Louis thought she might have never even met Harry had it not been for Twittergate, she was even more grateful she had suffered through part of her date last week.

Louis thankfully dressed down for this date, choosing a broken-in pair of light wash skinny jeans with the ankles cuffed, an oversized dark gray sweater, and her favorite flats. She grabbed the bottle of rosé from the refrigerator that she had bought on her way home, grabbed her keys and phone, and headed out the door to go to Harry’s.

Harry had insisted on cooking everything herself, despite Louis’ offers to pitch in, but she gladly agreed to the wine. So there Louis was, walking up the path to Harry’s flat, carrying the bottle and wearing a slightly nervous smile. After all, this was technically the second time she had ever seen Harry. What if they didn’t click in person like they had done through text all week?

Louis took a deep breath and knocked on the door to Harry’s flat. She could hear a small commotion on the other side, the faint sound of music, and footsteps stumbling towards the door. And then Harry appeared.

Louis’ eyes widened involuntarily as she stared at Harry. Her long curls were tamed into a loose braid that hung over the shoulder of a sheer, black floral blouse. The top three buttons were left undone, revealing the top of an intricate tattoo just below Harry’s collarbones. She had paired that with a pair of soft looking skinny jeans with small rips at the knees. Contrasting with the sexy look, Harry had opted out of shoes and instead stood in polka dot socks. It shouldn’t have worked, but it really did.

Louis realized she was staring and her eyes snapped back up to meet Harry’s. She realized neither of them had spoken yet.

“Hi, Louis,” Harry said in a familiar rasp. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and smiled shyly. “Please come in.”

“Thank you, hi,” Louis replied, finally finding her voice. She offered the bottle of rosé to Harry, who took it with a dimpled smile.

“Yay, this is my favorite!” Harry said, stepping aside to let Louis into the flat. “Let me just…” she trailed off, heading to the kitchen to put the bottle in the refrigerator. “Make yourself at home,” she called over her shoulder.

Louis took a nervous step inside and felt herself relax a fraction. Her first impression of Harry’s flat was _warm_ and _cozy._ Harry had opted for soft lights in colorful lamps and several candles, making the living room glow. The couch was red and decorated with intricate pillows and throws, facing a TV on the opposite wall. Artwork adorned the walls along with a mixture of personal photos and collages. From the kitchen, Louis could smell food simmering on the stove. And through a set of hidden speakers, she could hear old-fashioned music playing.

“In keeping with our theme tonight,” Harry said, reentering the room. “Frank Sinatra. I hope you like it.”

Louis smiled and relaxed even further into the smooth sound of Sinatra’s voice. She recognized the melody of the song from the movie the week before.

_You must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss_

_A sigh is just a sigh_

_The fundamental things apply, as time goes by_

“I love it,” Louis heard herself saying, and she found she really meant it. “You have a lovely home, Harry.”

Harry blushed and ducked her head before mumbling “thank you” with a smile. She gestured for Louis to follow her to the eat-in kitchen.

“Dinner’s almost ready. I hope you like lasagna,” Harry said, offering Louis a seat at the table. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I stir fried some basic veggies too.”

“That sounds amazing, actually,” Louis assured her, taking a seat. The small round table was already set with a mismatched set of silverware and flatware, and a chipped vase held a small bunch of peonies.

“Good,” Harry replied, sounding relieved. She turned off the heat of the stove and removed a casserole dish from the oven with a pair of colorful pot holders.

While Harry bustled around the kitchen, Louis took a moment to study her surroundings. A small but tidy white kitchen framed with glass-front cabinets displaying a set of vibrant dishes; a vintage-style refrigerator covered in photographs and recipes clipped from magazines; a floral rug in front of the deep farm sink; a chipped blue teapot on the back burner of the stove. It, like its owner, was charming.

“So, how was your week?” Harry asked, bringing the lasagna dish and a bowl of sautéed vegetables to the table.

Louis smiled ruefully. “Well, it was ok. I finally finished that article I was telling you about, and I facetimed my mom and sisters. Let’s see…I also drank way too much tea and stayed up late online shopping,” Louis laughed.

Harry grinned as she served up the meal. “That sounds fun. Buy anything good?”

“Another pair of shoes I didn’t need,” Louis shrugged with a small laugh. “How was yours?”

Harry mimicked Louis’ shrug and smiled. “Pretty good. I had that photo shoot with a family and their three Corgis that I was telling you about…that was an adventure. I had dinner with my sister. Watched a movie the other night.”

Louis raised her eyebrows. “Oh, which one?”

“Honestly? _Finding Nemo_ ,” Harry laughed.

Louis found herself laughing along with Harry. “Hey, that’s a classic movie! Not judging at all.”

“Right,” Harry said, rolling her eyes. “It’s up there with _Doctor Zhivago_ and _Les Miserables_.”

“I’ve seen neither of those, so I can’t vouch for them,” Louis announced with a grin. “But I would watch Nemo any day.”

“Same,” Harry said with a shy grin.

The two ate in silence for a few moments, and Louis was amazed by how good the food was.

“This is great, Harry,” she said between bites. “You’re a wonderful cook!”

“Thanks,” Harry smiled bashfully. “I’m glad you like it.” She met Louis’ eyes across the table, and after a long moment Louis found herself blushing.

They were suddenly interrupted by a ringtone coming from the kitchen counter. Louis raised her eyebrows as Little Mix’s “Touch” played through the phone speaker.

“Oops, let me just—“ Harry said, excusing herself from the table. She padded into the kitchen and answered the call. Louis took another tentative bite of her dinner as she waited.

“Hello?...Yeah, it’s happening right now. No…Gemma, can’t talk, will ring you later. ‘K, love you too. Bye.”

Harry was blushing as she arrived back at the table. “I’m so sorry, Louis. My sister promised to call during the date to make sure I was ok.”

Louis snorted and pulled her own phone from her back pocket. “Don’t worry; my sister’s waiting on standby just in case you turned out to be homicidal.”

Harry’s shoulders relaxed as she threw her head back and laughed. “Sisters are the best.”

“They really are,” Louis chuckled, pocketing her phone. From there, conversation flowed easily as they talked about family and growing up.

Louis found herself enthralled with the way Harry talked; kind of hesitant and drawn out, like she wasn’t really expecting to be heard. Louis wondered who in Harry’s life talked over her or tried to make her stop in the middle of a story. That would be a shame, because Louis was loving their conversation. There was something about the way that Harry’s mouth formed the words, and the rasp of her voice. Louis hated talking on the phone as a rule, but she imagined she could listen to Harry talk for hours. She wanted to curl up next to her on the couch and listen to Harry talk about anything and everything.

Wow. Louis needed to get a grip. They hadn’t even opened the wine yet, and Louis was already fantasizing about cuddling Harry.

They finished up dinner and Louis offered to help Harry with the washing up. Harry insisted they leave the dishes and go relax and enjoy the movie though. She opened the refrigerator and retrieved the rosé Louis had brought, and grabbed two glassed from the cabinet. So Louis followed Harry to the inviting red couch and kicked off her shoes.

“Here, have a seat, Louis, and I’ll get the movie started. Oh! And let me know when you’re ready for popcorn,” Harry added.

Louis sank down into the plush cushions and sighed. She leaned her head back and stretched. “This couch is amazing. I’m moving in,” Louis deadpanned.

Harry laughed and turned on the TV. “It’s perfect for naps.”

After a moment of fiddling with the remotes, Harry brought up the menu screen. “Ready?” she asked. “Do you want to pick up where you left off, or start from the beginning?”

Louis pondered for a moment and decided, “From the beginning. We’re doing this the right way, remember?”

That earned a grin from Harry. “Yes we are. Ok, here we go!”

This time, Louis was excited when she heard the opening music of the film. She was dressed in her favorite jeans, not sitting next to a twitter addict, and she felt completely at ease.

Louis didn’t know at what point she ended up sitting shoulder to shoulder with Harry in the middle of the couch. One minute, she was watching Humphrey Bogart make a deal with his love, Ilsa, and the next, she could feel Harry’s body heat radiating through her thin blouse. The simple contact sent sparks through Louis all the way to her fingertips, and she curled her feet up on the couch beside her and snuggled in closer. Harry didn’t speak, but if Louis had looked out of the corner of her eye, she would’ve seen her smile at the screen.

Louis reached for a handful of popcorn at the same time as Harry, and their fingers brushed briefly.

“Oops,” Harry breathed. “Go ahead.” She motioned for Louis to take the popcorn.

“Thanks,” Louis whispered. She settled back against Harry’s side as on screen, a foggy night at the Casablanca airport unfolded.

A few moments later, Louis was startled to hear a small sniffle. She raised her eyebrows and subtly glanced at Harry in time to see a fat tear roll down her wine-rosy cheek. On screen, Bogart was clad in a trench coat and fedora as he spoke to a crying Ilsa.

_We'll always have Paris. We didn't have, we, we lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night._

_When I said I would never leave you._

Harry sniffed again and cautiously, without breaking her gaze from the screen, Louis laced her fingers through Harry’s. Beside her, Harry briefly squeezed her fingers. Even Louis was getting a little emotional as Bogart continued:

_And you never will. But I've got a job to do, too. Where I'm going, you can't follow. What I've got to do, you can't be any part of. Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that._

On screen, a beautiful Ilsa ducked her head to cry.

_Now, now..._

Bogart cupped her chin and lifted it so their eyes could meet. Louis felt tears prickle her eyes too.

_Here's looking at you kid._

Beside her, Harry’s shoulders shook a little as she cried. Louis was at a loss herself.

“Oh god,” Harry whispered, frantically wiping her eyes. “Sorry.”

Louis smiled fondly and this time, leaned her head on Harry’s shoulder. Harry sniffled again, but gradually quieted. Together, they watched the airplane take off, a heartbroken Bogart standing on the runway.

As Bogart and a slightly confused accomplice strolled down the runway into the foggy night, Louis watched with a heavy heart as Harry spoke the line along with him:

_Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship._

Emboldened by the feeling of Harry’s soft hand laced with hers, Louis turned to her and whispered in the dark room:

“I think it will be.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm 1diamondinthesun on tumblr. Come say hi, or leave a comment. They make my day! :)


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